Seeking alternative to Crocosmia

Hi

I was very disappointed when my clumps of Crocosmia barely flowered last year, despite the clumps being less than three years old.

I would be very grateful if members could suggest alternative perennials which would be more reliable. I was thinking of Astrantia?

Thank you.

 

Hi
Are you growing in full sun , well drained soil ? in the border or in pots .

Did you feed them last year and if yes with what

 

Sorry for the lack of detail!

Full sun, clay soil that gets very wet in winter but dry in summer. I fed them with a granular feed.

 

I think its the clay soil , just to wet over the winter and its rotting the bulbs, does it puddle with water ? after it has rained ?, you could dig up the plants in a couple of weeks time and add a good sized bad of pea shingle to help improve the drainage (dig it in) , plus with feeding if its too high in nitrogen you end up getting all leaves and no flowers , you need something high in phosphates so tomato food is ideal , I grow daylily so I would recommend those but still needs better drainage , we will see what the others have to say on here

Spruce

 

Thank you for your swift reply!

They flowered very well for the first couple of years. I read that the bulbs cease flowering when they get too congested, so I was thinking of digging them up and thinning them out.

The lawn puddles but I've not noticed it with the beds. BTW, no sign of rotting.

 

Sounds as though they do need dividing, cucumber. They do the same as crocuses, and form new corms on top of the old ones. After a few years, you get a long chain of corms with the youngest barely beneath the surface of the soil. If re-planting doesn't work, one alternative might be species gladioli? They're much more graceful than florist's gladioli, and easier to grow mixed into a border.

 

Agree

 

I think I may have gone wrong in discarding the innermost bulbs rather than the newer ones nearest the soil surface.

 

Don't discard any that are still attached - they store food for the younger corms.

I agree about sorting the drainage out, although Crocosmia tend to grow just about anywhere. Being too dry holds them back, which is also another problem of clay soil as it holds water back but doesn't absorb water,

 

That doesn't read right to me, but I may just be misreading what you wrote.

Just to clarify, and apologies if that is what you are doing, you need to keep the corm nearest the soil surface / leaves, and discard the ones deepest in the ground / furthest from the leaves (although as LongK says its best to leave them on as extra energy storage)

Crocosmia should put on a magnificent display for you, so if not then I think it worth helping their growing conditions before giving up on them.

 

Not only should they bloom well, but in my experience they should be downright invasive!!!

 

Thank you very much indeed for all your replies.

Should I start digging the corms up now (the new leaves are poking through the soil), or should I wait awhile?

 

Where roughly do you live, personally I would leave till early March once they get going a bit more , as they will get off to a better start once you thin out, plus you will see what bits are growing more easily .
I move most of my perennials in March if needed , gives me a chance to see what has survived, or needs splitting. And hopefully the soil is more dry to work and replant.

Spruce

 

London, UK. Good advice...thanks.

 

I've re-read Kristen's reply and am still unsure (sorry).
Should I discard the lowest corms or leave them all on as energy storage, and then just plant out thinly?